At-risk behavior among the youth: What to do
December 30, 2003 | 12:00am
Consider this scenario, which should be cause for concern for parents, educators, guardians, and all those who would like to touch base with the youth:
• There are 15.1 million Filipinos aged 15-24, or about 20 percent of the population.
Of this group, a growing number had engaged in at-risk behavior (smoking, drinking and premarital sex) in 2002. Two out of 10 young persons — 23 percent — had premarital sex.
• Close to one-half (47 percent) of young people smoked, and 70 percent drank alcoholic beverages.
• A rising trend of drug use was observed, with one out of 10 youths (11 percent) having used illegal drugs.
These are among the salient points of the 2003 State of the Philippine Population Report, 2nd Issue (SPPR 2), a document published by the Commission on Population (POPCOM) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The theme this year is "Pinoy Youth: Making Choices, Building Voices."
The report was recently launched at the Mandaluyong City Gym with a concert deluged by an overflow crowd. Entitled "hoy-hoy-HOY! Ingat o Engot," the concert featured Parokya ni Edgar, Rivermaya, Brownman Revival, Bagong Dugo, and other artists popular with young people.
"The young," the report said, "view problem behaviors as acts of defiance against authority, and these often take place in in-group settings or among peers, barkadas and circles of friends and acquaintances. The figures of authority may be their parents."
Researchers found a link among the unwholesome activities: Those who smoked, drank and used drugs were more likely to engage in sex. And having sex is most strongly linked to drug use and, later, to thoughts of suicide and violence.
"Researchers call this multiple risk-taking behavior," the report said.
It is usually the boys who initiate risk-taking, a fact which can be traced to the traditional practice of parents to give boys more freedom than girls.
Dangerous sex and dangerous drugs reared their heads. Some 3.4 million Pinoys are on illegal drugs, according to the Dangerous Drugs Board and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. An estimated half of this – 1.8 million – are young persons. The practice is more common among youths who worked (18 percent) than those still studying (7 percent).
Close to 70 percent of the youths drank, and it was even more common among younger boys (93 percent). Among girls who imbibed alcohol, an increasing trend was noted: From 54 percent in 1994 to 70 percent in 2002.
The news was not all bad, however. "Young people’s engagement in risky behaviors appears to be temporary," the report noted.
That is, a significant 60 percent who smoked stopped, while a higher 75 percent said goodbye to drugs. Drinking, however, was a harder habit to shake off. Sixty percent who tried drinking are still guzzling beer or other alcoholic beverages.
Put another way, two out of five young women who have tried drinking continued to do so, either regularly or from time to time. For the young men, the ratio was four out of five.
Of those who have sex, almost all (95 percent) said they are not prepared to become parents, should their activities lead to pregnancy.
Young persons who are not sexually active remain the majority (77 percent). And that is the good news. But a significantly growing number have engaged in premarital sex, have been sexually abused, and experienced early pregnancy or abortion, illegal in this country and unacceptable to the population program.
"Many of them do not have a grasp of what they could become with these risks, and could end up wounded and struggle into adulthood," the report warned.
"If they are in school, their education could be interrupted," the document added. "If they want to have information and services that are beyond their reach, they turn to other means that may not be the right ones. Many are not aware that there are available information and services."
Parents can help their young make responsible sexual decisions, but they seldom do. It is the mass media which are becoming a major influence on the youth, but the messages emanating from these – news, billboards, commercials, sex flicks, Internet pornography, etc. – are not always positive, often misleading.
On knowledge of sex, data from the University of the Philippines’ Adult Fertility and Sexuality Survey showed that one-fourth of the representative sample of young people felt they were comfortable with their knowledge of sex, with the boys knowing more than the girls.
But the knowledge is lacking. Close to one-half of young people feel that pregnancy is unlikely with only one sexual encounter! In Metro Manila, however, 70 percent knew that a girl could get pregnant with only one intercourse.
Another disturbing finding is the eight-fold increase in the number of young people who had sex before age 15, from less than two percent in 1994 to 16 percent in 2002. Seventy percent engaged in sex without protection, and 55 percent just went along with it.
For some of the women, the experience was highly unpleasant if not traumatic: Unplanned, or totally against their will.
"The challenge is for adults to know and understand the situation of adolescents in order to address their unique experiences and needs as a generation and as individuals," SPPR 2 said. "Awareness of what is happening to young people can tell adults what to do."
The report recommended that a special approach be developed for sexually-active youth, including information on safe sex, where or how the youth might obtain the services that they need, and related counseling or guidance services.
Another program approach should be developed for the majority of the youth who are not sexually active. "The messages should also be clear, since some programs appear to encourage the youth to engage in safe sex rather than refrain from sex," the report stressed.
• There are 15.1 million Filipinos aged 15-24, or about 20 percent of the population.
Of this group, a growing number had engaged in at-risk behavior (smoking, drinking and premarital sex) in 2002. Two out of 10 young persons — 23 percent — had premarital sex.
• Close to one-half (47 percent) of young people smoked, and 70 percent drank alcoholic beverages.
• A rising trend of drug use was observed, with one out of 10 youths (11 percent) having used illegal drugs.
These are among the salient points of the 2003 State of the Philippine Population Report, 2nd Issue (SPPR 2), a document published by the Commission on Population (POPCOM) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The theme this year is "Pinoy Youth: Making Choices, Building Voices."
The report was recently launched at the Mandaluyong City Gym with a concert deluged by an overflow crowd. Entitled "hoy-hoy-HOY! Ingat o Engot," the concert featured Parokya ni Edgar, Rivermaya, Brownman Revival, Bagong Dugo, and other artists popular with young people.
"The young," the report said, "view problem behaviors as acts of defiance against authority, and these often take place in in-group settings or among peers, barkadas and circles of friends and acquaintances. The figures of authority may be their parents."
Researchers found a link among the unwholesome activities: Those who smoked, drank and used drugs were more likely to engage in sex. And having sex is most strongly linked to drug use and, later, to thoughts of suicide and violence.
"Researchers call this multiple risk-taking behavior," the report said.
It is usually the boys who initiate risk-taking, a fact which can be traced to the traditional practice of parents to give boys more freedom than girls.
Dangerous sex and dangerous drugs reared their heads. Some 3.4 million Pinoys are on illegal drugs, according to the Dangerous Drugs Board and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. An estimated half of this – 1.8 million – are young persons. The practice is more common among youths who worked (18 percent) than those still studying (7 percent).
Close to 70 percent of the youths drank, and it was even more common among younger boys (93 percent). Among girls who imbibed alcohol, an increasing trend was noted: From 54 percent in 1994 to 70 percent in 2002.
The news was not all bad, however. "Young people’s engagement in risky behaviors appears to be temporary," the report noted.
That is, a significant 60 percent who smoked stopped, while a higher 75 percent said goodbye to drugs. Drinking, however, was a harder habit to shake off. Sixty percent who tried drinking are still guzzling beer or other alcoholic beverages.
Put another way, two out of five young women who have tried drinking continued to do so, either regularly or from time to time. For the young men, the ratio was four out of five.
Of those who have sex, almost all (95 percent) said they are not prepared to become parents, should their activities lead to pregnancy.
Young persons who are not sexually active remain the majority (77 percent). And that is the good news. But a significantly growing number have engaged in premarital sex, have been sexually abused, and experienced early pregnancy or abortion, illegal in this country and unacceptable to the population program.
"Many of them do not have a grasp of what they could become with these risks, and could end up wounded and struggle into adulthood," the report warned.
"If they are in school, their education could be interrupted," the document added. "If they want to have information and services that are beyond their reach, they turn to other means that may not be the right ones. Many are not aware that there are available information and services."
Parents can help their young make responsible sexual decisions, but they seldom do. It is the mass media which are becoming a major influence on the youth, but the messages emanating from these – news, billboards, commercials, sex flicks, Internet pornography, etc. – are not always positive, often misleading.
On knowledge of sex, data from the University of the Philippines’ Adult Fertility and Sexuality Survey showed that one-fourth of the representative sample of young people felt they were comfortable with their knowledge of sex, with the boys knowing more than the girls.
But the knowledge is lacking. Close to one-half of young people feel that pregnancy is unlikely with only one sexual encounter! In Metro Manila, however, 70 percent knew that a girl could get pregnant with only one intercourse.
Another disturbing finding is the eight-fold increase in the number of young people who had sex before age 15, from less than two percent in 1994 to 16 percent in 2002. Seventy percent engaged in sex without protection, and 55 percent just went along with it.
For some of the women, the experience was highly unpleasant if not traumatic: Unplanned, or totally against their will.
"The challenge is for adults to know and understand the situation of adolescents in order to address their unique experiences and needs as a generation and as individuals," SPPR 2 said. "Awareness of what is happening to young people can tell adults what to do."
The report recommended that a special approach be developed for sexually-active youth, including information on safe sex, where or how the youth might obtain the services that they need, and related counseling or guidance services.
Another program approach should be developed for the majority of the youth who are not sexually active. "The messages should also be clear, since some programs appear to encourage the youth to engage in safe sex rather than refrain from sex," the report stressed.
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